GD: What did you think of this character, George, when you read the script? What struck you about him that really excited you to play? Kirsten stepped in, and then Paul Dano fell out, and then it circled all the way back around to me again, and I was available and said, “Yes, most definitely.” Paul Dano stepped in, and then Elisabeth Moss had to fall out for scheduling conflicts. I loved the script and I loved the idea of getting to work with Jane Campion, and then I became attached to something else, and it seemed like the scheduling wasn’t going to work. Yeah, at that point, she had no idea when we were going to start.

I think she had just met Benedict but didn’t tell me who it was that she was meeting with but was very excited about it. Jesse Plemons: Well, I met Jane very early on, before there was a start date. So how did this film ultimately come to you and Kirsten Dunst? Gold Derby: Now, we know there was some back and forth as this film was being put together in terms of casting and scheduling where your roles were concerned.

SEE Kirsten Dunst interview: ‘The Power of the Dog’ Watch the exclusive interview above and read the complete transcript below. Plemons spoke with Gold Derby senior editor Daniel Montgomery in November about the strange path to landing this role, what it was like working with his real-life partner, Kirsten Dunst and what he hopes viewers will take from the film.

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